The longest stay on the moon, the farthest trips in an SUV, no one believed that decades later humans still haven't returned to the moon
- The first episode in the series - Apollo 11
- For the second episode - Apollo 12
- for the third chapter – Apollo 13
- For the fourth episode - Apollo 14
- For the fifth episode - Apollo 15
- For the sixth episode - Apollo 16
With the launch of Apollo 17, the curtain came down temporarily on American manned launches to the moon and another program within the American space program ended. The launch of Apollo 17 brought to an end an era that began on 5.5.1961. With the launch of Alan Shepherd, the first American astronaut. The Apollo 17 crew included Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and astronaut scientist - geologist Dr. Harrison Schmitt. Schmitt and Cernan's job was to explore the surface further. Evans remained in the cockpit. The name of the command booth was America and the Challenger lander.
The flight time was 12 days, 16 hours and 31 minutes, of which 6 days and 4 hours were lunar activity. The stay on the surface of the moon was planned for 75. About 21 hours are dedicated to tours, each tour 7 hours. On. Cernan and Schmitt to collect 100 kg of soil samples along a route that is 37 km long. Evans was to measure and photograph the moon from the control room as it orbited. the moon alone, While his friends are patrolling the Taurus Litrov area. The researchers wanted to make new maps of the moon based on these photographs.
The chosen landing site is Taurus Litrov Gorge. It is a deep ravine located at the northeastern edge of the lunar surface near the southeastern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. The ravine is surrounded by steep mountains from 3 sides and to the west it is blocked by a 90 meter high cliff. A particularly difficult site for landing... the mountains to the south and north, according to one hypothesis, are piles of ancient rock fragments (4.6 - 4 billion years). At the base of the southern mountain, a large pile is visible, possibly formed during collapse. The floor of the ravine is covered with black rocks and a dark coating which, according to radar tests, was believed to be dust and not stone particles. The number of craters is smaller than in the surrounding areas. The dust also covers some of the rocks which are estimated to be 3 billion years old. Most geologists were convinced that volcanic ash that had risen upwards in periods between 1-3 billion years covered the landing site. The thought that troubled the researchers on this flight was where to find the initial rocks on the moon. In addition, signs of water on the surface of the moon were discovered in previous flights. Purpose. Another was the search for water.
The low angle of inclination of the previous Apollo spacecraft did not allow thorough measurements of the lunar surface north and south of the latitudes. It required high energies while giving up the moon landing and all that that implies. The research cell was equipped with new research devices and they are:
1. Pulse radar - this device. Sends radio waves to the upper layers of the moon's crust to find out what they are made of and maybe there is water under the crust. The device consists of 3 transmitters. Separate receivers that send waves of different lengths to depths. Different. The returned echoes are picked up by a device that analyzes them. If there are rocks that contain compounds that allow them to be turned into water or if there are other sources of water. They hoped to pick up their characteristic echoes. The radar waves are able to penetrate to a depth of 1.3 km. This radar is also designed to determine the properties of the areas over which the spacecraft passes.
2. Infrared radiometer - a device that measures the changes in the temperature of the lunar crust. The purpose of these measurements is to study the heat conductivity and other properties of the materials that make up the lunar mantle also on its hidden side.
5. Tiny mice were added to the journey. A tiny device was implanted in their heads to detect those mysterious flashes that the previous Apollo crews had noticed. The space doctors wanted to determine the effect of these flashes. Another biological experiment was planned on. by the European Committee for Biophysical Research. The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the effect of cosmic radiation on different types of animals. For this purpose, a biological box was prepared, 10 cm high, 10 cm in diameter. 200 panels with animals and plants such as unicellular bacteria, large beans, plant seeds, hot egg powder, etc. were inserted into it. The reactions of these animals to cosmic radiation were known and because of this the space doctors wanted to know what the biological results of these reactions were. Various detectors were attached to the panels to monitor the cosmic radiation bombardment.
Evans was tasked with collection duty. On the way of the astronauts back to the sphere. Haaretz, Evans had to get out of the spaceship and remove the film from the toilet cabin cameras. Since the Apollo 17 flight was the last flight as part of the Apollo program, a proposal was made to equip the "rover" with appropriate equipment so that it could continue to explore the moon after the astronauts returned to Earth. This offer has been removed and has not been implemented.
For the first time the launch was at night. This was forced by reality because of the relative position between the Earth and the Moon (the chosen landing site) and the need to coordinate the take-off time stems from the fact that the landing site must be illuminated by the sun at the right moment and time. The sunlight and the shadows are used to help when landing..
A strike by a small group of technicians on December 4.12.1972, 17 threatened the Apollo XNUMX flight. The technicians threatened that if they did not reach an agreement with them during that day, they would sit down. The strike in itself did not pose any threat to the fate of the flight. The problem was that the rest of the workers would stop work as a sign of solidarity with them, but on the same day the strikers reached an agreement with the company that employs them, thereby eliminating the fear of the launch date of the spacecraft.
A day before the launch, fear arose again about the fate of the flight due to weather. A cold front has approached Canadian fun. This front can create frost clouds at high altitude like the clouds that caused the lightning strike that hit Apollo. 12 when launched. 3 weeks before the launch, the astronauts entered their period. Isolation of 3 weeks. Apollo 17 was launched in -. 7.12.1972 and back on 19.12.
7.12 - the first day of the flight..
The launch was delayed. in 2 hours and 40 minutes due to last minute glitches. One malfunction was in the audit unit that oversees The complicated operations before the launch and the second in the pressure mechanism of the oxygen in the third stage of the launch vehicle. With the repair of the malfunctions, the spacecraft was successfully launched and entered a terrestrial orbit. In this course, which lasted 2 laps, the spacecraft's systems were tested as usual. When everything was found to be in order, the spaceship separated itself from its earthly orbit and moved to a lunar path. Shortly after that she connected with the moon lander The third stage the launch vehicle was headed for a lunar collision.
The first 5 hours were still not perfect in terms of malfunctions. the alarm system. began to operate suddenly and a serious fear arose for the fate of the flight, but it turned out that the source of the malfunction was in the alarm system itself and not in any other system. The astronauts noticed a "blizzard" of fire sparks outside the spacecraft. After careful examination it became clear that what they saw were nothing more than flakes of paint that had peeled off the third stage of the launch vehicle.
8.12 -. The second day of the flight
The speed of the spacecraft was increased to catch up with the lag created during the launch. The astronauts complained about a strange noise in their headphones that interfered with their communication. They sleep for 3 hours.
9.12 - the third day of the flight
A fault was found in the springs connecting the lander to the control cabin, but it did not cause any problems. The astronauts began testing the spacecraft before it entered lunar orbit. During the tests, Cernan and Schmitt also conducted a test on the lander. They then took sleeping pills and fell asleep. Evans who had to stay awake also fell asleep. Their sleep was so deep that they were hardly woken up.. Their sleep was an hour and a half longer than planned. After they woke up, they did a second test. landed and the only fault found was a disconnected spring.
10.12 -. The fourth day of the flight
The speed of the spaceship was increased once more and the delay caused by the delay in the launch of Apollo 17 was finally fixed. The astronauts. Conduct the final tests before the spacecraft enters lunar orbit. and fell asleep for 8 hours. After waking up, Cernan and Schmitt entered the lander and checked it a third time. Something went wrong again. This time in the heating system of an oxygen tank that supplies fuel to the spacecraft. This malfunction is not serious since the heating system can be activated manually if necessary.
Apollo 17 entered an elliptical lunar orbit that was far away. from the ground 316 – 94.. km. The correction of the path planned for this day was canceled due to the great accuracy in which the spacecraft was when it flew towards the moon. Of all the 4 repairs planned until that day, only one was carried out. The third stage of the launch vehicle crashed 200 km from the Apollo 14 landing site.
11.12 - the fifth day of flight, the first day on the moon
3 and a half hours after the spacecraft's entry into the lunar orbit, the paraslanion and absalanion points were changed. The distances from the ground after this change were... 109 - 25. km. On the Apollo 16 flight, the parallax was 17 km. The change in the current flight was due to Of the navigation problems that Apollo 16 had. A low parslanion could be critical in the event that the navigation system breaks down or there is even a slight inaccuracy in the ignition of the engines.
Schmitt noticed a faint mysterious glow to the north of Grimmedley Crater on the hidden side. Two explanations have been given. To flash it.. according to one explanation the source is volcanic and according to the other explanation. This is a meteorite impact.
The astronauts rested for 8 hours and then made the final preparations for landing. Schmitt complained about. Stomach palpitations and he is forbidden to eat certain foods. At the end of the tests, Cernan and Schmitt detached themselves from the control room, flew close to it for about 20 minutes and made one lap around the moon. Then they went down to a very low orbit that is 12 km from the ground and made one lap around the moon. The command cabin in which astronaut Evans ascended to orbit 96 km from the ground. The disconnection from the control room is done on the hidden side. Two hours and 35 minutes after disconnection, the landing was carried out in Taurus Litrov. provisions. The tendency is not serious and there is no reason for it. to greatly affect the takeoff from the moon... all this at a distance of 100 meters north of its planned destination. This is the only place where you can land without getting stuck in craters. The place is much more rocky than they thought. during. Landing Schmitt's heart rate rose to 128 beats per minute. 12 hours after disconnection, the command cabin ascended to a trajectory whose distance from the ground is 130-100... km.
12.12 - The sixth day of the flight, the second day on the moon
12 minutes late and about 4 hours after landing, Cernan and Schmitt went on their first tour. Cernan came out first and Schmitt 5 minutes after him. When he left, Schmitt got so excited that his frolic caused the cooling water in his suit to overheat. In the control center he was warned about this and he cooled his enthusiasm. At the beginning of their steps, Schmitt and Cernan stumbled, but they quickly got up and started their work. The first action they performed was placing the American flag. The space doctors noticed that Cernan was consuming too much oxygen and ordered him to drive carefully and not get tired. Then put the nuclear research station on its instruments. station. This research is able to work for several years. The measuring instruments are partly similar to those placed on the moon in previous flights.
1. Gravimeter - a device attached to the back wall of the "rover" and assigned 3 tasks.
A. to check the influence of the earthly attraction and the stars on the moon.
B. detect gravitational waves. In 1916, Einstein raised the theory. Relate the idea of the existence of gravitational waves. Professor Dror Sade from Tel Aviv University claimed in 1972 that he was able to prove the existence of these waves. Similar claims were made by Professor Weber from the University of Maryland (USA) several years before. Now space scientists hoped to confirm these theories using the gravimeter.
third. to check underground changes in the structural structure of the Taurus Litrove Mountains.. Maybe they resemble terrestrial mountains or are the result of material deposited in the ground.
2. A spectrometer for measuring the particles emitted from the face of the moon and enveloping it in a thin layer.
3. Mass spectrometer - a device for measuring the cosmic dust and micrometeorites that reach the moon.
4. A thermometer to measure the amount of heat emanating from the lunar crust and space. These devices are placed in holes drilled by the astronauts.
5. Neutron experiments. In the 3 tours, the astronauts must measure local movements in the moon's magnetic field with the aim of getting to know its density and the layers below the crust.
6. Geophones to measure the planned explosions after Apollo 17 took off from the moon.
7. Shortwave radio device - this device was also attached to the rear wall of the vehicle. From this device, radio waves are transmitted into the ground to discover water on the moon up to a depth of 1.6 km. The device was connected by a cable to the navigation system to enable the reconstruction of the places where the measurements were made after the return to Israel.
8. Astrophysical observatory - ultraviolet camera for photographing celestial bodies. The observatory was returned to the spacecraft after the stay on the moon and was put to use in the trip around the moon. To determine the composition of the "atmosphere" and upon return I would like to measure the distribution of hydrogen gas atoms in space and the density of the hydrogen clouds in the Milky Way.
On the Apollo 16 flight, John Young accidentally severed one of the cables. To prevent this type of malfunctions, the cables are coated with shock absorbers. The cables are coated with special folds that release when the cable is overstretched. Cernan and Schmitt encountered difficulties when they set up the research instruments and drilled 3 holes because of the hardness of the ground. The ground is harder than they thought and because of this the pace of work slowed down. The astronauts had to spend more time placing the instruments and drilling. The schedule delay reached . 30-40 minutes. Because of this and because of the high consumption of oxygen, Schmitt and Cernan's first journey was shortened by fifteen minutes. Cernan's heart rate reached 120 during drills and sometimes went up. 150 -. 140 per minute.
The excavated soil is very similar to the material from volcanic eruptions. With the completion of the placement of the devices, Cernan and Schmitt began their tour. They erred somewhat in their ways and overcame it. Their every step raised large amounts of dust which covered their spacesuits. and limited visibility. Cernan accidentally hit the back fender of the "Rover" with his hammer. The shield was torn and began to raise dust while driving which limited visibility and covered the indicators. Cernan and Schmitt had trouble reading the indicators. They tried to put the wing back in place but were unsuccessful. They tried to protect the sliders with a computer card but that didn't help either. Repair of the wing was postponed until the second day.
Schmitt and Cernan toured the surface of the moon for 7 hours and 12 minutes while traveling a distance of 2.8 km. At the end of the tour, they returned to the lander to rest. They sleep 8 hours. While Cernan was doing the drilling, Evans reported from the control room a minor malfunction that resulted in a change. Certain in connecting with the lander after it took off from the moon. About 24 hours after Schmitt's report of mysterious flashes on the surface of the moon, Evans reported a similar phenomenon.
12. 13 - The seventh day of flight, the third day on the moon
Cernan and Schmitt leave the lander for their second tour, but before that they have to repair the wing of the "rover" and they succeed in doing so. the broken wing Replace with 4 lunar maps and fasten them with 4 office clips. Schmitt planted 4 explosive charges in the ground to create earthquakes. By doing so, the researchers hoped to determine the moon's seismic profile. These charges are activated after the astronauts leave the moon.
In the fifth hour of their tour, Schmitt and Cernan noticed colored rocks and a golden strip. The rocks are orange, gray, black and blue. The astronauts discovered an orange deposit 5 cm thick. In the layer of black dirt near Shorty Crater. Dr. Schmitt said that the appearance of the orange dirt looks like oxidized desert soil. This could indicate that in the past oxygen and water were found there. Among the researchers there was an almost absolute certainty that matter was created following the emission of volatile substances coming from the moon.
Verification of the first impressions of the scientists in laboratory tests can prove. Because a billion years ago there was volcanic activity on the moon. The power of this verification is to cancel the theory that there has been no volcanic activity on the moon for 3 billion years.
Schmitt and Cernan wanted to stay a while longer near Shorty Crater, but the control center urged them to continue their work, lest they would not have enough oxygen in case of an emergency.. They climbed a 100 meter high cliff. There was some tension during their work when Schmitt reacted sharply to the control center's request to go upstairs. on a steep slope. On their way back to the lander, Schmitt tried in vain to fix the gravimeter. The researchers hypothesized that the device does not work because it is not balanced.
After spending 7 and a half hours on the surface of the moon and traveling 19 km, Cernan and Schmitt returned to the lander. The oxygen pressure in the cell rose to a high level. At first they didn't know what it meant and there was a fear for the fate of the astronauts. A thorough inspection of the compartment revealed that the valve was slightly leaking. The valve closed and thus the fault was fixed. With the finalization of the arrangements, the astronauts fell asleep. Evans noticed a cell. The command of two mysterious lights, one east of the Orientalis Sea and the other near. Artosthenes Crater. These flashes are probably the result of volcanic activity on the moon. On the hidden side he discovered groups of volcanic domes. The infrared radiometer discovered hot and cold places on the surface of the moon, some with a diameter of 24 km.
14.2 - the eighth day of the flight, the fourth day on the moon
On their third tour, Cernan and Schmitt covered a road of 14 km. They lingered a little on their way, especially Schmitt who lingered near the mouth of a volcano. The researchers had to rush them. The astronauts climbed a cliff that is 100 meters high. The Van Berg Crater, which is 780 meters in diameter, is similar to the Shorty Crater. it seems. It was because the color of the soil there is orange. A closer look disappointed both the Apollo pilots and the researchers. Nevertheless, the existence of light layers at the bottom of the crater required an investigation of hours, twice as long as planned. The material from which the Massif. North. appears to be the product of molten material cooling compared to rocks found in Massif. South. the previous day and which were formed by the joining of rocks as a result of pressure.
The last stop was on the slopes. Hills. Sculptured. By this station, the outer layer of the astronauts' gloves had completely worn out. The handle of the hammer Schmitt was using was out of order and there were also problems with his helmet. The shield was scratched and every time Schmitt tried to activate it he ran into problems due to the glare of the sun.
The tour as a whole was uneventful, except for a number of interesting phenomena such as a huge rock containing many minerals. Cernan and Schmitt toured for about 7 and a half hours and returned to the lander. Before that, they unloaded the unnecessary equipment from it and pointed the "rover" camera towards it, so that a live broadcast of the takeoff from the moon would be possible. They placed a commemorative plaque on the moon for the end of the Apollo operation, showing the two halves of the earth and in the middle a map of the moon, and indicating all the landing sites of the Apollo flights. On the plaque it was written: "Let there be will and the spirit of peace. that brought us so far, will be reflected in the lives of all members of the human race. Here man completed his first journeys to survey the moon in December 1972." The plaque is signed by the three Apollo 17 pilots and US President Richard Nixon.
At the end of the last operations, Schmitt and Cernan entered the lander and fell asleep. After waking up they did everything necessary for the take off from the moon. As soon as they woke up, Evans lowered the flight path of the command cabin to a height that allowed attachment. In total Cernan and Schmitt toured the moon for about 22 hours and 5 minutes.
15.12 - the ninth day of the flight
On this day Cernan and Schmitt stayed on the moon for only 55 minutes and then took off. 7 minutes after takeoff, the lander entered Yericho orbit and an hour and 53 minutes later connected with the command cabin. The orbit of the spacecraft was now 100 km. Cernan and Schmitt took off with a load of 117 kg of soil samples higher than planned. Despite the overload, there was no fear that the fuel would run out and not be enough to get them to the lunar orbit. The attachment was not perfect and she succeeded only on the third attempt. In the second attempt the two spaceships did meet, but the clips holding them together did not hold together.
After connecting, the astronauts transferred all the samples and all the equipment to the command cabin. After the transfer, they also moved to the command room. The lander was disconnected from the control room. An hour and a half later, her engines were activated and she headed towards the moon. The camera that was on the moon was supposed to film the crash of the lander did not work for some reason. The lunar laboratory stationed in the toilet compartment was activated and began to scan the moon.
16.12 - the tenth day of the flight
The explosive charges left on the moon were activated but the television camera that was on the moon was unable to record the explosions. A pair of scissors hovered in the cockpit. The astronauts had to search for them very carefully. There was a fear that near the Earth with the strength of gravity, the scissors would get a very strong momentum and their impact force would be like that of an axe. A blow of such force could be fatal. Even from a height of 100 km from the ground, the Apollo pilots noticed orange craters. The ultraviolet spectrometer in the bathroom showed that the moon emits gases. Earlier the researchers believed that there was a slight emission. of gases.
17.12 - the eleventh day of the flight.
The Apollo 17 pilots ignited the spacecraft's engine, detached themselves from their lunar orbit and began their journey back to Earth. The spacecraft's cameras were aimed for the last time at the moon to take a picture while moving away from it. With the end of filming, the astronauts fell asleep for several hours.. During his work, Evans complained of diarrhea. He took medicine and he got better. The trajectory of the spaceship was found to be so accurate that the repair planned for that day was canceled.
After they woke up, Evans put on his spacesuit and left the spaceship towards the bathroom. From there he brought back photographic films. For this purpose he hovered outside the spacecraft for 35 minutes. When he is connected to her with a cable that is 8 meters long. Evans took advantage of his time outside the spacecraft to check for a flaw in the spacecraft's coating.. The search for the scissors continued and was not found. During their way back to Earth, the astronauts activated the astrophysical observatory and photographed the cluster of "Kuma" stars.
18.12 - the twelfth day for the flight
The astronauts began preparations for landing on Earth. Meanwhile, they continued their search for the numbers. A new method was developed. For that she didn't help either.
19.12 - the thirteenth day of the flight
Apollo 17 pilots held a press conference. Half an hour in which they told about the course of their flight and the importance of the geological finds that they bring to Israel. In a report published that day by the space agency, it was stated that already on the Apollo 14 flight, Rosa Stewart noticed an orange color but they did not know what to do with it. From the first findings of Apollo 17 it became clear that the moon is homogeneous, not exactly round, the thickness of the crust varies and on the hidden side the mountains rise to a height of 9.5 km. 3 hours before landing, a slight correction was made to the flight path. The scissors were not found until the last moment.
After spending 300 hours minus 6 minutes in space, Apollo 17 returned and made a precision landing in the Pacific Ocean. Unlike the previous flights. On landing the spacecraft did not turn over on its side. in contact with the water. The landing took place 640 km southeast of the Pago Pago Islands in Samoa.
This was the last flight of Apollo to the moon, but the series did not end, next time we will tell about the history of the Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous flight, at the moment of a lull in the Cold War
